Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope

Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope

Alternative names	CFHT
Location	Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii
Coordinates	19°49′31″N 155°28′08″W
Organization	French National Centre for Scientific Research National Research Council Canada University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Observatory code	T14
Altitude	4,204 m (13,793 ft)
Diameter	3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
Website	www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/about/
Location within Hawaii
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The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT French: Télescope Canada–France–Hawaï) is a 3.58 metres (11.7 ft) optical/infrared telescope located near the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi at an altitude of 4,204 m (13,793 ft), within the Maunakea Observatories. The telescope has a Prime Focus/Cassegrain configuration, and has been in operation since 1979.

CFHT had proposed redeveloping its summit facility into the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer, replacing the existing telescope with an 11.25 m (36.9 ft) segmented telescope while reusing much of the existing observatory infrastructure, including the foundation, telescope pier, and portions of the support building. As of 2026, however, the project remains on hold pending review of governance and leasing of observatories at this site. In the interim, the existing telescope will remain operating into the 2030s.